The kindness of the woman in this adorable video, who sings to the baby elephant on her lap and gently strokes her head, is sure to restore your faith in humanity.
The elephant is about three weeks old and has already developed a “special bond” with the woman, named Allie. The video was posted by The Chai Lai Orchid, a nature reserve and eco-tourism destination in Thailand which is currently aiming to build a dedicated sanctuary for elephants, where they can be free from the horrors of the elephant trekking and logging industries. While we do not know what circumstances lead this elephant to live at the sanctuary, we can imagine that life hasn’t always been so great for this little one.
Elephants are incredibly intelligent and emotional creatures, and baby elephants need love and care to thrive just as readily as a human child does. Luckily, it looks like neither of these things are in short supply at Chai Lai Orchid, and we hope that this baby grows up to be happy and strong.
Chai Lai Orchid is working to enlarge the scope of their work by expanding their sanctuary, you can help them by contributing to their special appeal, Dollars for Dee Dee, or even bytweeting Ricky Gervais (they are hoping to persuade the animal-loving actor to visit their elephants and raise awareness of the cause). Let’s hope they achieve their goals!